I found bargain outdoor kit from just £1 when I visited my local Go Outdoors

01 February 2024 , 16:54

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My local Go Outdoors store is vast, with plenty of items on sale

I've got a theory. If you want to stock up on outdoor gear, or camping equipment, or maybe you just need a pair of walking shoes, middle to late winter is the best time to do it.

Stores are already deep into planning their spring collections, winter clothing is bound to be heavily discounted, and camping gear should still be at winter prices, when there's no danger of inflation from demand.

To put my theory to the test, I popped out to my local Go Outdoors. I'm lucky to live near an absolutely massive flagship outlet in Derby, which the JD Outdoors group bought from the crumbling Toys 'R' Us group last year.

Derby's flagship store was opened by Julia Bradbury

Because it's a flagship store, it basically has everything in the Go Outdoors range, along with the Naylors Equestrian and Fishing Republic brands, all in-house, and spread over two huge floors.

It's the perfect place, then, to hunt down some seasonal bargains. And, within seconds of entering the shop, I found my first one.

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Do bear in mind, that Go Outdoors has a fairly unique business model, with its best prices being reserved for members. And membership costs £5 per year. This gives you a discount card for 12 months, and all the prices I've spotted are only accessible with that card. You can sign up for a Go Outdoors membership card here.

Peter Storm Kids' Animal Polar Chute - £1

A basket of discounted "snoods" caught my eye as I entered the sprawling Go Outdoors store, in Wyvern Way, Derby.

I love a snood. They're halfway between a scarf and a hood, and you can wear them in a variety of ways, at all times of year. I wear them every day and, for the winter, I've got a handful of polar snoods, which have a fleecy layer to them. They're great for keeping your neck warm and keeping draughts out.

Yes, this Peter Storm polar snood really is £1

Unbranded snoods can get really cheap, but I couldn't quite believe the price of some of the Peter Storm kids' snoods in the bargain bin - they usually cost £13, but most of these were £3, and I even found a few at £1. They're also available online for the same price, but probably won't hang around.

I almost walked away with one, but then I remembered I'm not a child. Which was disappointing.

Quest Washable 'Home is where you tow it' mat - £3

The super-cheap snood wasn't the only startling bargain I saw during my visit. Over in the camping area, I spotted this quirky mat designed for caravan awnings, discounted from £8 to just £3.

I presumed there was something wrong with it, but I couldn't find a single mark.

This is such a good price for a caravan mat

They're out of stock on the Go Outdoors website, but I did find one on eBay for £5.99 plus postage.

I've got a motorhome and not a caravan, otherwise I would have snapped one of these up. I gather a "home is where you park it" mat is available, but I couldn't find one in store.

Peter Storm Lydstep sandal - £30

Over by the footwear section of the store was a little rack tucked away with a selection of "sold as seen" items, heavily discounted because, one assumes, they've got some marks on or maybe they're a bit shop-soiled.

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This looked like a really good price... Until I went online

There wasn't much to pique my interest, but I did see these lightweight sandals discounted from their usual £65.

Looking online, I've noticed they can be ordered for £31, so I'm not sure whether the £30 discount in-store is such a great deal, but if you're a Go Outdoors regular, it's worth seeking out this rack, because there might be some gold nuggets from time to time.

Merrell Men's Agility Peak 4 Gore-Tex shoes - £89.97

While I was in the footwear section, which isn't as big as you'd expect from a flagship store, I allowed myself a moment of personal indulgence.

I've been promising to treat myself to some lightweight walking shoes for the warmer months, and a pair I'd had my eye on was very heavily discounted.

I couldn't resist buying these shoes, but you won't believe the price I eventually paid when I got to the till....

These Merrell Agility Peak 4s were nearly half their retail price, which was really tempting. They're incredibly comfortable, as I've come to expect from Merrell, and I love the colourful styling.

Interestingly, there was a pair of the non-Gore-Tex Agility Peak 4s next to them, priced at £79.99. And, while I'm certainly not a Gore-Tex fanboy, it made sense to buy a pair with water resistance built in. The nice lady who helped me try them on explained that the cheaper pair had no form of waterproofing.

So a tenner extra for essentially the same shoes, but with premium water resistance built in? I'll take them!

Hi-Tec Men's Trail Ultra Waterproof Shoes - £39

I did hesitate for a moment before settling on my Merrell shoes, because these Hi-Tech rivals caught my eye. They're usually £100, but they were discounted to just £39, which is quite a bargain.

A great price for a great pair of shoes, but I had my heart set on the Merrells

I tried them on. They weren't a patch on the Merrells in terms of instant comfort, which I wasn't surprised by, but they were really nice to walk in, very secure and well made. And they're waterproof, too.

If it wasn't a few days after payday I might have been seduced by that incredibly tempting price - but as long as I don't tell the wife there was a much cheaper alternative, I should get away with it.

Hi-Tec Women's Aysgarth II Mid Waterproof Boot - £36

Speaking of the wife, I very nearly bought her an early Valentine's Day present when I spotted these heavily discounted Hi-Tec boots.

Their retail price was £125, which isn't bad for a waterproof ankle boot, but the price was down to a frankly incredible £36.

This is a bargain for quality walking boots - but I still managed to beat that price

I whipped out my smartphone to see just how good the deal was, and managed to find them even cheaper. Priced at just £29.97 at Millets. Thankfully, Go Outdoors is part of the same company as Millets, so they'd do a price match at the till.

I was so close to buying these, but then I remembered Her Ladyship doesn't get on with ankle boots. A dozen red roses it is, then.

Other bargains I spotted in the store

I headed out of the footwear section because I could feel it becoming quite an expensive trip, and had a quick look at the clothing area. It's absolutely vast.

There were plenty of bargains and discounts, but nothing that really jumped out at me. I did see a fab Peter Storm coat, the Women's Blisco II Jacket, which was knocked down to £25 from its retail price of £70, and it dawned on me Mother's Day was looming on the horizon.

£25 for a quality coat like this is a great deal

But then I remembered I had no idea what size my mother would wear, so I put it back on the rack. I might order it online later, because it's a terrific coat for the price.

I've never been very good at clothes shopping. My wife insists I shouldn't really go and choose clothing on my own because I'm hopeless at committing to buy things, even if I quite like them.

She was at work, I was wandering around almost completely aimlessly, the store staff were starting to look at me suspiciously, so I accepted the fact I was totally out of my depth and headed for the stairs to take me up to the mezzanine floor, which has the Go Outdoors selection of fishing, camping and cycling gear.

The first floor is where all the fishing, cycling and tenting gear is on display

The cycling section is my happy place. I know what I'm doing around bikes and, although I couldn't afford one, a few definitely tickled my fancy.

It's arguably a really good time to buy a new bike, with the new season not quite kicking off yet, and the latest models only just starting to appear in stores.

There's a bewildering array of bikes in Go Outdoors, from small, folding bikes, inexpensive e-bikes, a selection of road-focused bikes, some nice commuter-style bikes, and some more technical off-road stuff.

I would have loved to have ridden away on this bargain bike

I completely fell for the charms of a gorgeous Jamis Faultline A2, which was less than half its original price at £799, but then I remembered I don't have nearly £800 to spare and it wouldn't have fitted in my car anyway. So I left the cycling area feeling a bit deflated.

The fishing section looked fascinating, but I remembered I don't know anything about fishing, so I skipped past it and found another happy place, among the tents.

There's a large tent display upstairs at Go Outdoors, and there were bargains galore.

£199 for a spacious family air tent - what a bargain

My wife and I abandoned our passion for camping under canvas following an unexpected storm in Cornwall which curtailed an otherwise lovely holiday, but I still find them endearing.

My favourite display tent was a Eurohike Rydal Air 400, which seemed too good to be true at £199, down from £650. It has a bedroom at the back that can be split into two, and a huge living area with an optional carpet.

Air tents are such a great invention, anyone who's messed about with poles while it's blowing a gale will tell you that, and to see a family-sized tent for less than £200 really makes me want to get back in to tent camping again. But I know I'll never convince my significant other.

You could spend hours wandering around the departments in a flagship Go Outdoors store

On, then, to the astroturf-lined section of tent accessories. The astroturf really does make this area feel inviting and outdoorsy, but whenever I bring my dog up here I'm terrified she's going to think it's actually grass and wee on it.

Yes, Go Outdoors does allow dogs. They even get bowls of biscuits and water at the entrance. My two literally drag me in.

I really liked these little inflatable chairs - perfect for camping

While I was in this section, I spotted a really nice little Hi Gear Inflatable Pod Chair for just £25. If I had bought that tent, I'd have also grabbed a couple of these, because they look so comfortable and compact.

There's more camping kit on the ground floor in Derby's Go Outdoors, and that's where I headed next. I paused for a moment to marvel at some cute Eurohike kids' animal chairs, which were a tenner each or two for £18, but then I remembered I don't have any children.

How cute are these kids' chairs?

One thing I did nearly get my wallet out for, though, was a remarkably tempting price for an inflatable kayak.

The Hydro-force Rapid Kayak X3 usually costs £299, but Go Outdoors has it on the shelves at £99.97 - and that seems incredibly cheap for a three-seater kayak with oars and a pump thrown in.

I very nearly bought this!

Summoning my self-restraint in the interest of matrimonial harmony, I decided not to buy a boat, and I headed to the equally manly barbecue area, in search of my favourite brand, Cadac.

In our motorhome, we have a Cadac Safari Chef 2, and it's just the perfect tool for cooking up anything from a full-english to a pizza.

Go Outdoors has these on sale for £108, which is a pretty good price, but I have since found one at BBQ World for a frankly ridiculous £75. That's such a bargain, don't miss it.

I've always been interested in the less compact Cadacs, and I think the pick of the bunch in the store was the Grillo Chef 40, which was reduced by £101 to just £89.

This is such a nice barbecue, and thanks to a clearance sale, it's cheaper than I've ever seen it

The Grillo Chef has a built-in thermometer and a compact stand and, if you've got room in your camping setup, it's a brilliant barbecue for couples or small families. Just bear in mind you'll need to have a supply of gas for it.

They're no longer available online at Go Outdoors, this was just an in-store clearance apparently. But I did find one at Millets for the same price.

I resisted the mysterious lure of a Stanley Cup

On the way to the till to pay for my new shoes, I noticed Go Outdoors stocks the inexplicably popular range of Stanley cups. A pale yellow one caught my eye, it looked quite cool, but at £45 I'd rather just go for a different brand and pay half the price. Thankfully there are loads of alternatives on offer in the shop.

Since getting back home, I've seen the same Stanley Flip Top Tumbler on Amazon for £36.47. I'm still not tempted, though.

I got to the till and remembered Go Outdoors offers a price-match guarantee, and I used my time in the short queue to see if I could find my new Merrell shoes any cheaper.

To my surprise and delight, a company was selling the same pair for £79.99. A tenner less than Go Outdoors and, ironically, the same price as the non-Gore-Tex versions I'd snubbed.

Did I ride the pretend horse? No. Did I want to? Of course I did.

The nice man at the counter checked they were available in the same size and colour, checked the seller was a bona fide shop (you might sometimes get asked for a VAT registration number) and then he whipped out a notepad to work out the discount.

The marvellous thing about the price guarantee is that, if you can find the same item cheaper, Go Outdoors doesn't just match the price, they'll beat it by 10%.

So I got my new shoes, which have a recommended retail price of £159.99, for just over £70.

I was so chuffed with my bargain that I almost did a little dance as I left the store. But then I remembered I was in my mid-40s and it would have probably terrified some children who were about to walk past me.

So I just sported a beaming smile instead. Which probably wasn't any better, on reflection.

Gareth Butterfield